Bedford County, Virginia
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 60,371. Its county seat is the City of Bedford6 and is part of the Lynchburg MSA. As an independent city, the City of Bedford is not a part of Bedford County, despite being the county seat. History Bedford county was established on December 13, 1753 from parts of Lunenburg County. The county is named for John Russell, the fourth Duke of Bedford, who was a Secretary of State of Great Britain. In 1782, Campbell County was formed from parts of Bedford County. Also in 1786, Franklin County was formed from Bedford County. Attractions *Smith Mountain Lake *Peaks of Otter *National D-Day Memorial *Poplar Forest Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,992 km² (769 mi²). 1,954 km² (754 mi²) of it is land and 38 km² (15 mi²) of it (1.92%) is water. Adjacent Counties and City *Amherst County - northeast *Rockbridge County - northwest *Botetourt County - northwest *Roanoke County - west *Franklin County - southwest *Pittsylvania County - south *Campbell County - east *Lynchburg - east Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 60,371 people, 23,838 households, and 18,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 31/km² (80/mi²). There were 26,841 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.18% White, 6.24% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 23,838 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.40% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.80% were non-families. 20.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,136, and the median income for a family was $49,303. Males had a median income of $35,117 versus $23,906 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,582. About 5.20% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.30% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over. Economy Historically, Bedford County was an agricultural economy. While agriculture is still an important factor in the county's economy, Bedford County has significant residential development to serve Lynchburg, Roanoke, and Smith Mountain Lake. Tourism and retail are also becoming more significant. Towns *Forest *New London *Huddleston *Moneta *Montvale *Thaxton *Goode *Big Island *Hardy *Stewartsville *Chamblissburg External links *Bedford County government's website Category:Counties of Virginia Category:Bedford County, Virginia Category:Established in 1753 Category:Counties on the James River (Virginia)